Brief and Delayed News about more Vicious Incitement and Charity as a Weapon

Meeting about land in February.

The Jamhuri attacked insanely again.

OBC had guests.

Big propaganda number with donation to hospital.

As mentioned in this blog, in January there was the most horrible media incitement against Kirtalo, after the DC took journalists there and lied to them that people would have “invaded” their own land cultivating, and that obvious village land would be some kind of “investor area” or “protected area” – which the “journalists” readily reported. OBC’s own DC Hashim Mgandilwa announced that there would be a meeting on 18^th January. The incitement died down, and since the local leaders weren’t ready, there never was a meeting.

Meeting about land

On 10 February - now long ago,,, - there was a meeting about land issues in Wasso. It was agreed that “investors” should talk with the community, and ask permission to use the land, and when necessary have formal partnerships. OBC’s general manager, Isaack Mollel, attended and was extremely arrogant saying that the land was a protected Game Controlled Area, pretending that he had never heard about Village Land Act no 5 of 1999. The MP William Olenasha explained with clarity, but Mollel insisted on denying any village land. Nobody – the “investor-friendly” councillor William Alais of Oloipiri did not attend - sided with Mollel. Though Gabriel Killel, director of the NGO Kidupo that was corrupted in 2014 spoke about OBC being better than the NGOs, since those did, unlike the “investor”, not engage in development projects, such as the drilling of wells. Reportedly Killel wasted many words on blaming an NGO coordinator, a secondary school teacher, and this blogger for having “killed” Kidupo. If this NGO is dead (I can only hope so…) it’s Killel who committed the act by suddenly starting working for the “investors” instead of for the community. The DC also had complaints about those that share information with “foreigners”. Thomson Safaris did not attend and weren’t much dealt with, but the agreement was that they should stop using courts and lawyers and instead talk with the community and get a contract with the Maasai whose land it is.

The Jamhuri again

Then, on 23^rd February another inciting Loliondo article by Manyerere Jackton appeared. They are over 20 by now. This article was a rehash of older ones, again painting a picture of Loliondo as “invaded” by “Kenyans”, and again Manyerere lied that those Kenyans would have established NGOs. Manyerere is yet to produce a single name of a Kenyan NGO leader in Loliondo, but facts do of course not deter him. Again he lied that it would have been “Kenyans” that last year had a boundary dispute with Serengeti National Park. He lied that “Kenyans” would be behind the market in Karkamoru, and it is hardly a coincidence that this is the market that OBC wants to close down. (edit: OBC sadly succeeded in having the market closed down.) Manyerere praises the outrageously incompetent and “investor-friendly” DC Hashim Mgandilwa who boasts about last year’s anti-Kenyan operation that he claims arrested 17 Kenyans. I wouldn’t dare to mention that if there were an “invasion” by thousands of Kenyans… After going on and on inciting against those supposed “Kenyans” the Jamhuri again published Manyerere’s list of 224 private individuals that he accuses of having this nationality. It’s frightening that Tanzanian media organisations and personalities never raise their concern about this extremely dangerous, corrupt and incompetent reporting. If there were any real journalists, they would investigate what Manyerere get in return for his incitement.

Hunting Guests

On 22^nd February OBC received a plane full of guests. Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai was however posting in social media, as if in Dubai. Another plane landed on the 28^th , and the following day did the crown prince post a photo with a Maasai child.

Donations to the hospital

On 22^nd March appeared photos in social media of OBC’s Isaack Mollel and DC Hashim Mgandilwa. OBC was donating beds and bedding to Wasso hospital, and in some of the photos there was something looking like a TV camera. Besides those expected, some unexpected people started praising the company for which hundreds of houses were burned in 2009, tens of thousands of cattle driven into a drought area, and 7-year old Nashipai Gume was lost, and never found. Judging from Mollel’s repeated comments every time he opens his mouth he would not mind another “operation”, since he keeps insisting that the land does not belong to the Maasai. A couple of days later OBC’s donations of food were publicised. Much of this work was done by OBC’s, since some time, star employee, and now apparently also PR person – Moloimet Saing’eu. Charity as a weapon is not a new phenomenon in Loliondo.

In bed together.

Thomson Safaris
The week before Easter week there was to be an appeal hearing, but it was postponed until May. Justice is slow and uncertain, but must come someday. Obtaining information about Thomson Safaris is harder than ever.

I hope to soon be back with more and better news.

Susanna Nordlund

sannasus@hotmail.com